The Washington Post just reported that tonight seven Republicans and seven Democrats announced a deal that will avert the “nuclear option,” at least for now, in exchange for an agreement to allow floor votes on three of the Administration’s most controversial nominees:
Fourteen Republican and Democratic senators broke with their party leaders last night to avert a showdown vote over judicial nominees, agreeing to votes on some of President Bush's nominees while preserving the right to filibuster others in "extraordinary circumstances."
The dramatic announcement caught Senate leaders by surprise and came on the eve of a scheduled vote to ban filibusters of judicial nominees, the "nuclear option" that has dominated Senate discussions for weeks. The deal clears the way for prompt confirmation of three appellate court nominees -- Priscilla R. Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William H. Pryor Jr.
Democratic leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) called the pact "a significant victory for our country." But Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said "it has some good news, and it has some disappointing news."
In a reaction to the deal, NWLC Co-President and NominationWatch.org Executive Editor Marcia Greenberger said:
Defusing the nuclear option and preserving the right to filibuster some judicial nominations was essential for maintaining our nation’s system of checks and balances, and hopefully it will pave the way for bipartisan consultation on judicial nominees. But we are very disappointed that three of President Bush’s most extreme judicial nominees will no longer be filibustered as a result of this compromise.
Click here to see Marcia’s full statement.
